Abstract
A growing environmental concern is increasing the search for new sustainable materials. In this scenario, natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) became an important alternative to replace synthetic fibers commonly used as composites reinforcement. In this regard, unknown NLFs such as the caranan fiber (Mauritiella armata) found in South American rain forests revealed promising properties for engineering applications. Thus, for the first time, the present work conducted a technical characterization of caranan fiber-incorporated composites. Epoxy matrix composites with 10, 20 and 30 vol% of continuous and aligned caranan fibers were investigated by tensile tests, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Composites with more than 10% vol of caranan fibers significantly increase the elastic modulus and toughness in comparison to the neat epoxy. Indeed, the composite with 30 vol% was 50% stiffer, 130% tougher, and 100% stronger, which characterized an effective reinforcement. As for the elastic modulus, total strain and tensile toughness, there is a clear tendency of improvement with the amount of caranan fiber. The TGA disclosed the highest onset temperature of degradation (298 °C) with the least mass loss (36.8%) for the 30 vol% caranan fiber composite. It also displayed a higher degradation peak at 334 °C among the studied composites. The lowest glass transition temperature of 63 °C was obtained by DSC, while the highest of 113 °C by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for the 30 vol% caranan composite. These basic technical findings emphasize the caranan fiber potential as reinforcement for polymer composites.
Highlights
The specific properties of the natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) composites are in some cases better than those of glass fiber composites [19,20]
Joshi et al [21] propose that NLF composites are likely to be environmentally superior to fiberglass in most applications
In addition to superior specific properties, NLF composites have the advantage of fiber biodegradability, lower density, reduced process energy and cost effectiveness [23]
Summary
Natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) are increasingly being considered sustainable alternatives for replacing synthetic fibers as polymer composite reinforcement in both scientific reviews [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] and possible industrial applications [12,13,14,15,16,17,18]. The specific properties (divided by the density) of the NLF composites are in some cases better than those of glass fiber composites (fiberglass) [19,20]. Joshi et al [21] propose that NLF composites are likely to be environmentally superior to fiberglass in most applications. In addition to superior specific properties, NLF composites have the advantage of fiber biodegradability, lower density, reduced process energy and cost effectiveness [23]. A relatively high level of moisture absorption might weaken the fiber adhesion to the hydrophobic polymer matrix [5,7].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call